Athena
"Enough Kratos! With every city you destroy, the wrath of Olympus grows. Soon I will no longer be able to protect you. Do not forget that it was I who made you a god Ghost of Sparta. Do not turn your back on me." - Athena Greek Mythology In Greek mythology, Athena (Άθηνά) was the goddess of strategic warfare and heroic endeavour. She was well-known as the shrewd companion of many heroes. She was the virgin patron of Athens, which built the Panthenon to worship her. It was prophecized that the children of the goddess of crafty thought and wisdom, Metis, would be far more powerful than the sire, including Zeus himself. In order to forestall these consequences, after laying with Metis, Zeus swallowed her whole, imprisoning her within his belly. However, it was too late. Metis had already conceived a child. Zeus soon came to be in great pain. Prometheus, Hephaestus, and Hermes all cleaved Zeus’ head with the double-headed Minoan ace, the labrys. From Zeus’ forehead Athena was born, leaping out of her father fully grown and armored. She became his most favorite daughter. Classical myths thereafter noted that Hera was so annoyed at Zeus producing a child —apparently on his own— that she caused herself to conceive and bear Hephaestus by herself. After the appearance of this variant it became stated that Metis never bore any more children and that Zeus persisted as supreme ruler of Mount Olympus. Athena competed with Poseidon to be the patron deity of Athens, which was yet unnamed. They agreed that each would give the Athenians one gift and that the Athenians would choose the gift they preferred. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a spring sprang up; this gave them a means of trade and water —Athens at its height was a significant sea power, defeating the Persian fleet at the Battle of Salamis— but the water was salty and not very good for drinking. Athena, however, offered them the first domesticated olive tree. The Athenians’ king, Cecrops, accepted the olive tree and with it the patronage of Athena. The reason being was because the olive tree brought wood, oil, and food. In the God of War Series Kratos slaughtered countless lives while he was in servitude to Ares – Athena’s half-brother. During this time, Ares ordered his servant to destroy a village that worshipped Athena. Blinded by bloodlust, Kratos was warned not to enter a sacred temple, for it would be the greatest sin he would ever commit. The villagers stood no chance against the Spartans; they were massacred mercilessly. Kratos, inside the forbidden temple, killed his wife and child. He had been decieved by the very god who once saved his life. Watching from Mount Olympus, Athena witnessed everything, taking pity on Kratos. She would help Kratos to be forgiven of his sins and one day take vengeance upon Ares. ''God of War'' Out of utter hatred and jealousy towards Athena, Ares summoned monsters from the Underworld and lay siege on Athens. During this time, Kratos had been battling the monstrous Hydra in the Aegean Sea. Athena guided Kratos with her wisdom and knowledge, leading him to reaching his ultimate goal – the secret to destroying a god. Athena told Kratos that in order to destroy Ares he would have to retrieve Pandora's Box, a sacred item left in the ancient temple chained to the back of the Titan Cronos. Kratos would have to travel through the Desert of Lost Souls and traverse the many traps and secrets of Pandora's Temple. If he were to unleash the power of the box, he would truly be able to defeat the god of war once and for all. After thousands of years Pandora’s Box was discovered. Kratos had done the impossible. Athens had been left in ruins, but that would not stop Ares from begging for Zeus’ approval. By killing Kratos and stealing Pandora’s Box, Ares hoped that Zeus would finally see who was more worthy of being his favorite child. However, Kratos returned even from the Underworld, and managed to unleash the power of the box. After a ruthless battle, Ares was defeated. Athena promised Kratos that the sins of his past would be forgiven, but what he had done not even a god could forget. With all hope lost, Kratos felt abandoned and flung himself from the cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea, believing death was his only escape from the nightmares. It was not as it seemed… The gods had not abandoned Kratos at all. Athena gave Kratos the throne of Ares and was given the title of god of war. She also granted him the Blades of Athena, weapons far more powerful than the Blades of Chaos. ''God of War II'' As the new god of war, Kratos was far more ruthless than Ares ever was. He was shunned by his fellow gods and in anger towards them for not ridding him of his nightmares he turned to the Spartan army. Together, they began conquering all of Greece. Athena warned Kratos that if he did not stop his path of destruction, the wrath of Olympus would grow ever stronger and she would not be able to protect him. Kratos, sneering at Athena, turned his back on her and fled to the island of Rhodes where his Spartan army lay siege. Athena was left with no other choice but to help rid Kratos of Olympus. As a mighty colossal god, Kratos tore apart the city of Rhodes until an eagle flew over him, casting a reign of magic that would shrink him down to mortal size. Kratos believed it was Athena’s act of defiance against Kratos, until it was actually revealed to be the king of the gods himself – Zeus. During Kratos’ journey through the Island of Creation, he came upon the Garden of the Gods, where a golden statue of Athena warned him not to listen to Gaia or the Titans. She explained to Kratos that there were more important things besides seeking revenge and that Zeus did what he had to in order to protect Olympus. The king of the gods did in fact fear Kratos. The warnings of Athena did not startle Kratos, and he continued his path of vengeance until facing Zeus once again. Taking the Blade of Olympus, Kratos plunged Zeus with it repeatedly until Athena intervened. Angered by Athena’s intervention, Kratos pushes her aside and strikes and the fleeing Zeus. Athena threw herself in front of Zeus before he could be stabbed, and fell by Kratos’ hand. Saddened by what he had done, Kratos asked Athena why she would sacrifice herself. Athena replied that Zeus must live so that Olympus prevailed. She also revealed that Kratos was the bastard child of Zeus, compelled to destroy his father just as Zeus had done to Cronos and Cronos had done to Ouranos. Sickened by this very fact, Kratos claimed he had no father, leaving Athena to die. The time of Olympus would come to an end. Relationships Athena was very devoted to protecting Olympus and her father, Zeus. She was favored by Zeus among the rest of his children, causing the jealousy of the god Ares. In both God of War and God of War II, it is noticed that Athena cares very much for Kratos, and it is also questioned as to whether or not Athena and Kratos shared a romantic relationship of any sort. Powers and Abilities As a goddess, Athena was able to appear in many forms and was highly invulnerable. Like all other gods, she was immortal, only able to be killed by the power of the Blade of Olympus. She gave Kratos the Rage of the Gods in God of War to use to destroy his enemies. She bears two katan swords on her back, which was used to stop Kratos from killing Zeus with the Blade of Olympus. She also had the power to communicate through various statue depictions of herself, usually doing so to guide Kratos Trivia *In God of War and God of War II, Athena is voiced by Carole Ruggier, who also did the voice of Athena in the video game ''Age of Mythology'' *In God of War II, one of the Bonus Costumes allows Kratos to become Athena Related Pages *Gods *Athens *Athena (Costume) *Athena's Swords Gallery Image:Athena.JPG|Concept art for Athena in God of War. Image:Athena.jpg|Athena's statue in the Desert of Lost Souls in God of War. Image:Athena_3.jpg|Concept art for Athena's statue in God of War. Image:Athena_4.jpg|''Gamespot.com'' screenshot of Athena in God of War II. Category:Characters Category:God of War 1 Characters Category:God of War 2 Characters Category:God of War:Chains of Olympus Characters Category:Deities Category:Immortals Category:Relatives of Zeus Category:Gods of Olympus Category:Deceased characters Category:God of War Series